Why Did ZICO Avoid BTOB Member for Nearly a Decade? Yook Sungjae Spills the Beans

In a surprising turn of events, Yook Sungjae from BTOB made an appearance on the May 10 episode of KBS' music show 'The Seasons: ZICO's Artist'. The episode marked the first time in nearly a decade that Yook Sungjae and ZICO, leader of Block B, found themselves together on a stage.

During their interaction on the show, ZICO humorously pointed out the long duration since their last encounter, asking:

"You realize this is our first time together in eight or nine years?"

Yook Sungjae, with a laugh, replied, "Really? I thought you had been avoiding me for the last eight years!"

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Yook Sungjae went on to share a fascinating anecdote about their past. He revealed that during a period when BTOB was still striving to gain popularity, ZICO had offered them a song called 'Nice Day', which the group recorded. However, due to the agency's preference for ballads at the time, the song was left out from their album plans.

Yook Sungjae and ZICO
(Photo : Youtube (SS capture))

Contrary to Yook Sungjae's playful accusation of avoidance, ZICO clarified that the decision to include 'Nice Day' in Block B's album stemmed from the song being left unclaimed by BTOB.

"I felt it would be best if we Block B release the song because it was left unclaimed," ZICO explained.

Despite the slight misunderstanding, Yook Sungjae expressed gratitude towards ZICO for his encouragement during the recording of 'Nice Day'. He reminisced about ZICO's praise, which boosted his confidence and made him consider exploring different musical styles.

The heartwarming interaction didn't end there. Yook Sungjae expressed his desire to collaborate with ZICO on his solo career, to which ZICO warmly responded by promising to create a song for him. The audience erupted into applause as the two artists shook hands, hinting at a promising musical collaboration in the future.

Meanwhile, Zico's upcoming single is generating buzz as BLACKPINK's Jennie joins him for a special collaboration, marking his 10th solo debut anniversary.

Jennie's support and their existing friendship played a key role in her involvement. Zico's return to the music scene after almost two years is highly anticipated, accompanied by his debut as the sole MC on a music program. Despite his success, Zico has apologized for inadvertently causing inconvenience with his viral dance challenge trend, acknowledging concerns raised by fellow artists like Sunmi.

You can watch the full video here.